Three games to watch during the Colts' bye week

The Colts may be on a bye this week, but there are still matchups worth monitoring. 

With Indy still on the outside looking in, they will need some help from other teams in order to make it into the playoff picture, as they are still two games back of the final wild card slot. 

While no game in week 14 can move them up in the AFC standings, there’s a couple teams who could help the Colts make progress towards a postseason appearance. 

Here’s three games to keep an eye on that could lend Indianapolis a hand.

Jets over Dolphins

Ever since making a change at head coach, 2024 has been a lost season for the Jets. At 3-9 and sitting in 12th in the AFC, have little to play for at this point in the year. 

Miami, on the other hand, is a place back of Indianapolis at 5-7. They need to go on a winning streak to stay afloat in the playoff race, as the Colts do hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over them from week seven. 

The Dolphins are under pressure to win right now. The Jets have nothing to lose. 

If New York is able to play spoiler over their division rivals, they could help give the Colts a little bit of breathing room at the playoff bubble. It won’t be easy on the road, but divisional matchups are always unpredictable. 

Chiefs over Chargers

Kansas City, sitting pretty at 11-1 with a playoff berth already clinched, can help the Colts out by narrowing the wild card race if they’re able to hand the Chargers a loss. 

Los Angeles currently holds the No. 5 seed, the top wild card spot, with a record of 8-4. A loss would see them fall one spot to the No. 6 place. They would share an 8-5 record with the Ravens, who have the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning the Harbaugh Bowl in week 12. 

That would leave the Chargers, Ravens and Broncos all at 8-5, two games ahead of the Colts. If Indy can come out of their bye and pick up a win over Denver, the landscape of the wild card race will see a seismic shift.

The Chiefs haven’t been the same dominant Chiefs team which has won the last two Super Bowls, despite being the top dog in the AFC thus far. Still, they have a first-round bye to fight for, so they’ll be all in on picking up a victory over a divisional opponent. 

With home field advantage in their favor as well, they seem poised to give Los Angeles a tall task. 

Cowboys over Bengals

There’s not a whole lot for the Bengals to fight for at this point in the season. At 4-8, they face an uphill battle if they’re to make a postseason push. Still, they’re just two spots behind the Colts in the AFC standings. 

The Cowboys, who’s injury-filled season has gone dramatically wrong, can help Indy out by delivering the kill shot to Cincinnati’s season if they can pick up a win in primetime and move to 6-7 on their season. 

Dallas has struggled at home this season, which will give the Bengals a glimmer of hope. Either way, neither a Cowboys win nor loss affects the Colts much, but a Bengals loss will make the playoff picture much, much clearer going down the stretch. 

There’s not much that can happen this week to massively help or hurt the Colts while on their bye week. Regardless of any outcomes, Indy still needs to win their final four games for any other results to matter. 

This week can only clear up the playoff picture for them, or tighten up the race for a berth. 

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